Restraint torso for a pressurized suit

ABSTRACT

A restraint torso for a pressurized suit consists solely of restraint cloth (with the exception of a zipper for frontal closure not disclosed herein). The torso is rendered elliptical and flat across the chest, rather than cylindrical, by means of shoulder transitions pieces, an upper piece extending from the front of the armhole over the shoulder to the rear of the armhole, and a lower piece extending from the front of the armhole under the arm to the rear of the armhole. The pattern of the lower piece includes slightly curved edges which form straight seams with the main torso pieces, and is cut with the warp oriented so as to provide, in the torso, a warp which extends curvilinearly from below the arm upwardly and inwardly toward the neck at the front of the suit, and with the warp providing virtual extension of the frontal warp direction at the rear of the suit (from the arm downwardly toward the center of the back). The upper piece is so cut that its warp runs from front to back directly over the shoulder. These pieces, together with seams which are five layers thick, and therefore provide restraint against stretching, cause the torso to distort when under pressure into the aforementioned generally elliptical shape, with the chest being relatively flat across the front between the arms. Collar transitions are provided so that the front center of the suit is substantially a straight line from the chin to the waist, thereby to accommodate a reliable closure, such as a zipper with a seal. A restraint belt is provided from under one arm around the back to the under side of the other arm. The main torso pieces in the front are double layers of cloth whereas the main torso pieces in the rear are single layers of cloth. This factor, together with the restraint belt at the back, causes the torso, when under pressure, to remain relatively flat across the chest, while allowing a certain amount of ballooning in the upper back. Precise cloth patterns are disclosed.

United States Patent Marroni, .Ir.

l l May9, 1972 [54] RESTRAINT TORSO FOR A PRESSURIZED SUIT [72] Inventor:

[73] Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration [22] Filed: Dec. 20, 1968 [21] Appl.No.: 785,613

Michael A. Marroni, Jr., Weatogue, Conn.

v[52.] U.S.Cl ..2/2.l,2/ll5 [5i] ..A62b 17/00, A4lb 1/00 [58] Field ofSearch ..2/2,2.l,2.l A, DIG. 4, 115, 2/125, 93, 82, 79; l28/l.0l

Primary Examiner-Jordan Franklin Assistant Examiner-George H. Krizmanich Attorney-W. A. Marcontell, Marvin .I. Marnock and John R.

Manning [57] ABSTRACT A restraint torso for a pressurized suit consists solely of restraint cloth (with the exception of a zipper for frontal closure not disclosed herein). The torso is rendered elliptical and flat across the chest, rather than cylindrical, by means of shoulder transitions pieces, an upper piece extending from the front of the armhole over the shoulder to the rear of the armhole, and a lower piece extending from the front of the armhole under the arm to the rear of the armhole. The pattern of the lower piece includes slightly curved edges which form straight seams with the main torso pieces, and is cut with the warp oriented so as to provide, in the torso, a warp which extends curvilinearly from below the arm upwardly and inwardly toward the neck at the front of the suit, and with the warp providing virtual extension of the frontal warp direction at the rear of the suit (from the arm downwardly toward the center of the back). The upper piece is so cut that its warp runs from front to back directly over the shoulder. These pieces, together with seams which are five layers thick, and therefore provide restraint against stretching, cause the torso to distort when under pressure into the aforementioned generally elliptical shape, with the chest being relatively flat across the front between the arms. Collar transitions are provided so that the front center of the suit is substantially a straight line from the chin to the waist, thereby to accommodate a reliable closure, such as a zipper with a seal. A restraint belt is provided from under one arm around the back to the under side of the other arm. The main torso pieces in the front are double layers of cloth whereas the main torso pieces in the rear are single layers of cloth. This factor, together with the restraint belt at the back, causes the torso, when under pressure, to remain relatively flat across the chest, while allowing a certain amount of ballooning in theupper back. Precise cloth patterns are disclosed.

1 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures PATENIEDN Y 9l972 3,660,851

SHEET 1 OF 7 P'A'TENTEDMAY 91912 3, 660,851

SHEET 2 [IF 7 PATENTED HAY 9 I972 SHEET 3 OF 7 PATENIED um 91972 SHEET u [If 7 FIG-9 1 RESTRAINT TORSO FOR A PRESSURIZEDSUIT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of Invention This invention relates to pressurized suits of a type worn in high altitude aviation and space exploration, and more particularly to an improved restraint torso therefor.

2. Description of the Prior Art It is well known that pressurized garments become extremely stiff when under pressure. I-Ieretofore, little attention has been paid to torsos, it being assumed that the upper trunk of the body need not undergo relative flexion or rotation, and

therefore a rigid torso has been thought suitable. Restraint -torsos known to the art include rigid and elastic (fabric) torsos having cable restraints thereon to prevent the torso from stretching as a result of hoop load or plug load caused by the pressure within the suit. As used herein, plug load refers to the forces which tend to elongate a suitor a section of a suit as a result of pressure therein, and hoop load refers to the radially outward forces which'tend to cause circumferential ballooning as a result of pressure within the suit.

It has been found, however, that a rigid torso does not provide a proper base for a shoulder jointcapable of sufficient mobility to permit the wearer to perform necessary tasks, or to perform even rudimentary tasks without extreme fatigue. On the other hand, torsos of a flexible nature (that is, made of fabric or other material which is flexible prior to pressurizing) have a tendency to balloon outwardly in all directions, forming substantially a cylinder up to the center of the arms, and hamper'the visibility neck mobility and causing discomfort of the wearer due to an excess of stiff rnaterial at the upper chest and armholes. Additionally, frontal closures for suits fabricated from flexible material such as cloth, have been found to be marginal in terms of ease of operation and adequate pressure sealing capability. It has been found that this results in large part from puckering or reverse curves, which exist along the length of the closure from the neck to the waist.

Bulbous torsos induce chafiing and pressure points'to the wearer when using the arms. The wearer, in effect, runs into the torso. This causes excessive discomfort and considerably reduces the useful life of the suit, due .to wear. All space suits are to beworn in confined spaces, and large torsos (cylindrical) increase the size of the total suit envelope. This has proved to be a big problem on all past suits used in actual flight. For example, the one prior art suit hasa suit envelope width'of about 30-32 inches, whereas an adequate size would be more like 2 feet in width. I

All elastic (fabric) torsos known to the prior art have one major problem that has never been solved satisfactorily: when a suit is built, the fabric pieces are sized to fit the man. These have to be sized to fit when unpressurize'd, as well as-when pressurized. In other words, when the man donns the suit, it obviously is not pressurized, but the suit has to be big enough for the man to get into it. Then, when the suit is pressurized, it stretches and is too large. This creates many problems: if the suit is then too large, it seriously impedes mobility and cornfort; if the suit is made smaller to fit pressurized, it is too small when unpressurized. This results in difficulty in donning and donning time increases three to five times more than it should be; discomfort in donning increases; and at vent pressure, causes pressure points and hematomas. In contrast, a suit should fit both when pressurized and when unpressurized.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The objectof the present invention is to provide an improved torso for a pressurized suit.

According to the present invention, a torso for a pressurized suit is fabricated of pieces of cloth, including over arm and under arm transition pieces and front and back collar pieces, the warp of the cloth and the'positioning of the seams causing the torso, when pressurized, to assume a shape which is relatively 'flat along a frontal closure line, from the neck to the waist, flat across the upper chest (side to side), in the front, and substantially elliptical midway in the chest. In further accord with the present invention, the warp of the cloth is oriented in the direction of maximum load.

A pressurized suit fashioned with a torso in accordance with the present invention provides increased mobility for the wearer. It also provides for lack of hindrance of excess material in the upperchest, and a good pressure seal in a frontal closure. Additionally, arm mobility, particularly in the region of the upper shoulders, is increased by the utilization of a torso in accordance herewith. The torso in accordance with the present invention also permits a certain amount of ballooning in the upper back, which may be utilized to accommodate airconditioning and other hardware required for the operation of a total pressurized suit assembly. The torso in accordance herewith exhibits amarked decrease in its tendency to stretch over a period of time, and therefore maintains its design configuration over the useful life of the suit. A torso in accordance herewith also is very low in weight, and its bulk is minimal.

The torso in accordance with the present invention provides interfaces to the shoulder and helmet which are known to conform to desired design criteria, thereby minimizing the custom aspects of the manufacture of successive individual suits. No distortion of these interfaces result from pressurization of the suits. The present invention provides a torso which conforms to the shape of a man. That is, just as a man s shape runs from generally cylindrical just above the waist to generally elliptical and flat across the front of the upper chest, so does a pressurized suit having a torso in accordance with the present invention.

This torso in an unrestrained suit segment; it has virtually no stretch. This has the added feature of keeping all segments in their proper place: suit armholes with respect to the arms; and the helmet with respect to the head. Also, tethers and other hardware are affixed in a reliable manner since each portion of the torso has its position well stabilized.

A pressurized suit employing a torso embodying the present invention maintains its size, within close limits, between the unpressurized and pressurized states. his easy, fast and comfortable to donn, and reduces all phases of adverse physiological'effects. The overall width of the torso may be limited to close' to 2 feet. I Y

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in the light of the followingdetailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, as illustratedin the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG.- 1 is a simplified front elevation of a torso in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of a torso in accordance with the present invention; 7

FIG. 3 is a simplified section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a simplified section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a section of a seam taken on the line 55 of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematicized illustration 'of a pattern required to make a frontal panel for the embodiment of the torso in accordance with the present invention illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a detailed front elevation of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG.'1, with the left side broken away;

FIG. 8 is a detailed back elevation of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1, with the left side broken away;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the pattern for fashioning the right chest panel for the preferred embodiment of the invention, as

back panel of the preferred embodiment of the invention, as is illustrated in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a pattern for fabricating a right upper arm transition piece for the preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 7 and 8;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a pattern for fabricating a right lower arm transition piece for the preferred embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 7 and 8;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a pattern for fabricating a right front collar piece for the preferred embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a pattern for fabricating a right rear collar piece for the preferred embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 7 and 8; and

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a pattern for making one of the plies of a back restraint belt for the preferred embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 7 and 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. I, a torso in accordance with the present invention includes a right chest panel 20, a left chest panel 22, a right lower arm transition 24, a right upper arm transition 26, and left upper and lower arm transitions 28, 30. The torso also includes right and left front and rear collar transitions 32, 34; 36, 38. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 8, the torso in accordance herewith also includes right and left back panels 42, 40, respectively, and a restraint belt 44 from the lower scye (under arm) on one side across the back to the lower scye at the other side.

As is seen in FIG. 2, when pressurized, the torso in accordance with the present invention is substantially straight from the neck (50) all along the frontal closure line 52 to the waist 54. Similarly, as is seen in the sectional view in FIG. 3, the torso in accordance with the present invention from mid scye to mid scye provides a generally elliptical suit which is substantially flattened in the front of the chest, with the armholes 56, 58 pointing slightly forwardly, However, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper back is allowed to balloon outwardly substantially more than the chest, which provides additional freedom of mobility to the wearer, and also provides space for hardware such as vent system plenum and distribution ducts and other air-conditioning hardware, as well as communication hardware and other necessities. This is due in part to the detailed design characteristics of the arm transitions 24-30, and to the restraint belt 44 (which is shown dotted in FIGS. 1, 2, 7 and 8 because of the fact that it is actually disposed inside of the restraint torso). In addition, the restraint belt 44 causes a transition from a generally circular cross-section at the waist to a semi-elliptical cross-section at the bottom of the arm transition pieces 24, 30, which is slightly below the lower scye, as seen in FIG. 4; this contrasts with generally cylindrical torsos known to the art as illustrated by the dotted lines 56 in FIG. 4. Thus, the torso herewith conforms generally to the shape of a man from the waist through the upper trunk to the chest, and additionally provides a vertically flat frontal plain (52) and a billowed upper back.

As shown more clearly in FIGS. 7 and 8, the seams that join the various pieces and panels together are multi-layered, or double feld seams as illustrated in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the left lower arm transition 30 is folded once about elements of the left chest panel 22, and the left chest panel 22 has an additional fold so as to provide a total of four layers of cloth which are sewn together with a plurality of stitch lines. This provides for restraint (resistance to tensile forces) in directions which are different from the warp of the cloth. As is known, any cloth will tend to stretch least when tensile forces are applied parallel with the warp; more stretch will occur as a result of components of tensile force which are parallel with the woof or fill of the cloth. By utilizing multiple feld seams, which may be of the type as illustrated in FIG. 5, or may include more or less folds to suit any particular design expediency, restraint is provided in a number of directions, which is generally not in the same direction as the warp of the cloth. This enables the torso in accordance herewith to be free of extemal restraints such as has heretofore been provided for cloth torsos; such restraints usually take the form of stainless steel cables or may take the form of specially woven restraint tapes or cords. The present torso eliminates these, thereby reducing weight and bulk and providing inherently greater strength by incorporating the cloth of the panels and pieces directly so as to form restraint members.

Referring briefly to FIG. 1, the seams which join the arm transition pieces 2430 to the panels 20, 22, 42, 40 of the torso tend to assist in causing the torso to assume a flattened and slightly elliptical shape (as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4), rather than a cylindrical shape having normal geometric transitions to the circular armholes. This is because there is a tendency to resist any stretch in a direction of any one of the seams, and therefore such stretching as does take place must take place within one of the panels or pieces itself. But, as is described more fully hereinafter, the stretch of the arm transition pieces 24-30 is controlled so as to aid in the shaping of the torso when under pressure by specific and careful orientation of the warp of the cloth when the pattern is cut. Additionally, in accordance with the present invention, the chest panels 20, 22 are provided with a double thickness of restraint cloth so as to further resist any tendency to stretch, particularly with respect to resisting hoop load so that the chest does not tend to balloon outwardly, but rather remains flat.

Because of the complexities not only of the geometry, but of the response of the fabric to the variety of forces being impressed thereon in a pressurized suit, the fundamental theory underlying the present invention is not fully understood. However, it is believed that the combination of the restraint members formed by multiple-feld seams (as described hereinbefore), the orientation of warp of the various pieces, and the shaping of the various pieces of cloth of which the torso of the present invention is comprised, achieve the desired shaping. For instance, notice that the warp of the chest and back panels (FIGS. 7 and 8) is oriented so as to resist hoop load, rather than plug load. This tends to prevent the torso from ballooning outwardly and resists circumferential growth of the suit. However, the line running upwardly toward the shoulder is primarily under plug load (which tends to stretch the suit in height). This plug load is not resisted completely by the flll of the cloth, but instead is resisted by the seam which joins the transition piece 26 with the right chest panel 20 and is further resisted by the warp of the transition piece 26 which is substantially parallel to the scye, both in the front and the rear. On the other hand, both the seam and the warp of the transition piece 24 are diagonal, running substantially parallel with a line from under the arm upwardly and inwardly toward the neck, as illustrated by the warp line 64. It is believed that this tends to hold the upper right middle chest downwardly and outwardly thereby tending to maintain the chest flat. Additionally, since the shape of the pieces 24, 26 and the panel 20 is not such as to form the maximum volume geometry as a result of pressure in the suit, the pressure exerted on each of the pieces is transferred in part to the other pieces such that equilibrium is reached with a substantially flattened upper chest, as described hereinbefore. With reference to the pattern of the chest panel 20 illustrated in FIG. 9, and to the pattern of the lower arm transition 24 illustrated in FIG. 12, it can be seen that both of these have a common seam line a, 70b, respectively which are curvilinear in a complementary fashion. However, the seam formed thereby is substantially straight when pressurized, which results in severely limiting the amount of outward ballooning which can take place at the triple joint of the upper and lower arm transition pieces 26, 24 with the chest panel 20. Since ballooning is severely limited at this point, a substantially flat chest will result. Further, the pattern of the chest panels is different than it would be for a cylindrical torso, as illustrated by the dotted line 57 in FIG. 6

In a similar fashion, the tendency for reverse curves to form along the frontal opening line 52 (FIG. 1 and 2) is overcome by the shaping of the rear panels 40, 42 and front panels 20, 22. With reference to FIG. 10, note that the center back seam line 72 of the right rear back panel 42 is caused to curve outwardly at the bottom. This in turn causes pressurized equilibrium to occur with the front of the suit generally pulled toward the sides and around toward the rear of the suit. This avoids buckling of the frontal closure line in the lower chest area.

The permissive ballooning in the upper back (FIG. 2) is caused by a combination of the warp oriented to resist hoop load in the back panel (42,- FIG. so that the cloth can stretch in a vertical length fashion and thereby provide ballooning in the upper back. On the other hand, the restraint belt 44 definitely stabilizes the overall semi-circumference of the suit from the under scye of one side around the back and to the other side. This in combination with the double thickness chest panel 20, 22 having the warp oriented to resist hoop load stabilizes the overall circumference of the chest.

As can be seen with respect to the pattern of the right rear collar panel 34 shown in FIG. 14, the warp of this piece is oriented primarily to resist hoop load over the entire length of the piece. However, a comparison of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 illustrate that the warp tends to be slightly skewed from a pure hoop load restraint in both the front and the back, and the reorientation of the warp so as to remove the cant in the front would increase the cant in the back, and vice versa. Of course, additional pieces could be provided so as to secure a warp which is nearly perfectly oriented with respect to hoop load at all points covered in this embodiment by the rear collar piece 34. This is not necessary because of the close proximity of all the elements of cloth to multiple-feld seams and to a helmet anchor plate (not shown herein) which is secured immediately above the collar pieces.

Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to preferred embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes and omissions in the form and detail thereof may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described typical embodiments of my invention, that which I claim as new and to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a pressurized suit, a restraint torso assembly comprising: v

restraint cloth front and rear panels;

a plurality of pieces of restraint cloth having warp yarns,

' said pieces joined together forming a pair of respective shoulder encircling members secured to said front and rear panels at each respective side of said torso assembly, each of said shoulder encircling members having three regions of warp orientation; the first of said regions extending from the front center of the shoulder encircling member over the upper portion thereof to the rear center thereof; the second of said regions extending from the front center of the shoulder encircling member to the lowermost portion thereof; the third of said regions extending from the lowermost portion of the shoulder encircling member to the rear center thereof; the restraint cloth oriented in said first region with the warp substantially parallel with the scye of the restraint torso assembly; the restraint cloth oriented in said second region with the warp substantially parallel with a line running from the lowermost portion of the shoulder encircling member upwardly and inwardly toward the neck region of the restraint torso assembly; and the restraint cloth oriented in said third region with the warp substantially parallel with a line running from the shoulder encircling member downwardly and inwardly toward the lower back region of the restraint torso assembly. 

1. In a pressurized suit, a restraint torso assembly comprising: restraint cloth front and rear panels; a plurality of pieces of restraint cloth having warp yarns, said pieces joined together forming a pair of respective shoulder encircling members secured to said front and rear panels at each respective side of said torso assembly, each of said shoulder encircling members having three regions of warp orientation; the first of said regions extending from the front center of the shoulder encircling member over the upper portion thereof to the rear center thereof; the second of said regions extending from the front center of the shoulder encircling member to the lowermost portion thereof; the third of said regions extending from the lowermost portion of the shoulder encircling member to the rear center thereof; the restraint cloth oriented in said first region with the warp substantially parallel with the scye of the restraint torso assembly; the restraint cloth oriented in said second region with the warp substantially parallel with a line running from the lowermost portion of the shoulder encircling member upwardly and inwardly toward the neck region of the restraint torso assembly; and the restraint cloth oriented in said third region with the warp substantially parallel with a line running from the shoulder encircling member downwardly and inwardly toward the lower back region of the restraint torso assembly. 